Ignition apparatus



E. SCHROEDTER.

IGNITION APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25, 1919.

1,411,587. Patented Apr. 4,1922.

NESS

uNrrso STATES EDMUND SCI-IROEDTER, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IGNITION APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 4 1922 Application filed January 28, 1919. Serial No. 273,541.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMUND Sorrnonnrnn, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Brooklyn, New York, have in vented a new and useful Ignition Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

7 My invention relates to the ignition of internal combustion engines, and the objects of the invention are to provide eifective means for automatically igniting the charge, which will be relatively inexpensive and which can be readily incorporated in the engine at the time of building or subsequently be applied as an attachment to the engine.

With these objects in view the invention consists of an ignition element or so-called tube located Within the exhaust chamber of the engine and exposed therefore to the heat of the exhaust gases and having a part or parts extending through a wall of the engine cylinder into communication with the combustion chamber of the cylinder. In some cases it is desirable to provide means for accumulating and for retaining the heat, and the invention contemplates the provision of such means and of other features as well, as will be disclosed in detail.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated practical embodiments of the invention, but would have it understood that modifications and changes may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

In this drawing:

Fig. l is a sectional view of an internal combustion engine having the invention in corporated in and forming a part thereof.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the ignition tube, modified in certain respects.

In the illustration, 3 designates an engine cylinder provided with a combustion chamher 4: and an exhaust passage or chamber 5,

said two chambers being separated by a wall 6 in which there is formed a valve port 7 controlled by the valve 8.

The ignition device consists, in the disclosure, of a tubular element 9 in the nature of a ring, surrounding the stem of the valve and disposed within the exhaust chamber so as to take up the heat of the exhaust gases trapped in said chamber, said ring element having one or more tubular branches or extensions 10 extending up through the wall 6 and into communication with the combustion chamber.

The laterally disposed heating portion 9 of the ignition tube is enveloped by the hot exhaust gases when the exhaust valve opens and when the valve closes such portion is mainta ned hot by the hot gases trapped in said chamber. To aid' in the retention of heat, I preferably use for the tube substantially pure nickel or metal containing a preponderance of nickel, nickel, I have found,

having a high degree of heat retentivity.

On the compression stroke of the engine, the charge 1S compressed and automatically ignited at the proper point by contact with the tube which has been maintained hot by the gases trapped in the exhaust chamber. The

time of firing may be controlled by regulating the size and thickness, etc., of the ignition tube to bring about ignition of the point in the cycle take up and absorb the heat insuch chant ber. Under such conditionsI may employ heat absorbing devices in the nature of fins or flanges 11 surrounding the ring portion of the igniter tube. heat retaining effect is further increased by providing a heat retaining element, such as a wire of nickel or the like 12 within the tube, such as illustrated in Fig. 2.

In some cases also it may be desirable to provide within the tube a material such as carbon which will glow with the absorbed heat and furnish a somewhat more positive means for igniting the charge. For this purpose I have shown the upper or igniting portions 10 of the tube provided with tubular linings 13 of hard carbon. This carbon lining readily takes up the heat of.

the tube and furnishes a more or less steady glowing point insuring positive ignition in the charge.

I claim:

1. Ignition means for internal combustion This absorptive and engines comprising in combination, an engine cylinder having a combustion chamber and an exhaust chamber an ignition tube open tothe combustion chamber and having a heating portion exposed within the exhaust chamber, and an igniting material within said tube having substantially the glow characteristics of 'canbonaceous matter.

2. Ignition means for internal combustion engines, comprising in combination, an 10 engine cylinder having a combustion chamher and an exhaust chamber, an ignition tube opening TITtO the combustion chamber and having a heating portlon exposed within the exhaust chamber, and a lining of solid car- 15 bon Within said tube.

EDMUND SCHROEDTER. 

